Observations
by Sillabub 429
Summary: Takes place during the Stars season. Much to his own annoyance, Yaten Kou finds himself watching and observing the actions and personality quirks of one Aino Minako. Slightly plotless, pointless, fluffy, and silly. One-shot.


Observations

By Sillabub

He watches her sometimes.

Not because he particularly likes her, or anything. Honestly, she annoys the hell out of him. Sometimes he even hates her. After all, she's just another stupid, obsessive fan. So what if he watches her? He merely finds her . . . interesting.

That's all.

That doesn't mean he cares about her.

Because he doesn't.

Not a bit.

She's just an interesting person.

There are certain things about her that intrigue him. Like that crazy red ribbon she always ties her hair up with. Or the way her bright blue eyes sparkle with mischief when she's planning something. Or the way she constantly mangles proverbs and old sayings when she's trying to quote them. Or the way she chews on her lower lip when she's really concentrating on something. She always smiles, but she has one goofy, shining smile that she seems to reserve for him alone. She always laughs at his jokes, even when he's being grumpy and sarcastic and childish, and sometimes he finds himself making jokes simply to hear the sound of her bubbling laughter because a part of him finds the sound pleasant. And she makes every day of school interesting; even the most boring of days has its entertaining moments when he's sitting in the desk beside her.

Maybe that's what she is to him. A form of entertainment. Maybe that's why he observes her so often. Or perhaps he watches her because she is a puzzle he cannot solve. A more mystifying person he's never met throughout his journey across the galaxy, but he seems to be the only one who sees her as such. To everyone else, she's quite possibly the happiest, brightest, ditziest being on the planet.

But not to him.

Never to him.

He can tell she's hurting by the pain he sometimes sees in her eyes, and he wonders what makes her so sad. Sometimes he even worries about her and wonders why she constantly covers up that sorrow with the mask of a perky, carefree individual. And he wishes he could know her secrets and the reasons for her sorrow.

And so he watches her and wonders about her, simply because he finds her interesting.

But that doesn't mean he cares about her.

Because he doesn't.

Not at all.

Seiya grins mischievously at him during lunch one day. "Oh, Yaaaaten," he drawls teasingly, "who are you staring at?"

Yaten looks up, annoyance evident on his face as his attention is suddenly drawn away from the girl he was studying so intently. "Huh?"

"You've been watching Minako-chan for the past five minutes," Seiya replies gleefully around a mouthful of his lunch, not noticing as bits of half-chewed food fly from his mouth and pelt Yaten's face like kamikaze flies. Or maybe he notices, he just doesn't care.

Yaten wrinkles his nose in disgust, swiping at his face. "That's gross, Seiya. Don't talk with your mouth full."

"You're changing the subject!" declares Seiya, pausing only to swallow the food still left in his mouth. "That's a sure sign."

"Of what?" snaps Yaten impatiently.

"That you like Minako-chan! Why else would you be staring at her so much?"

The skinny boy bristles at that, his face flushing in what he sincerely hopes is only anger and not embarrassment. "I do not," he mutters, throwing a glance in the direction of Minako's lunch table to make sure she's not observing any of this exchange, "stare at Minako. Nor do I like her. At all. None. Never in a million years."

Seiya doesn't look convinced. "Right," he replies condescendingly. "We believe you, don't we, Taiki?"

Taiki doesn't even look up from his book. "Seiya, it's a lost cause," he says simply. "You know Yaten won't admit it."

Seiya looks disappointed as Yaten snorts, feeling his anger rising. "Excuse me? Admit what, exactly?"

Pushing his glasses further up on his nose, Taiki lets out a long-suffering sigh. "That you have feelings for Aino-san, of course."

"What!" Yaten bursts out, banging his fists on the table. "I do NOT!"

Taiki raises an eyebrow as he turns a page, and Seiya shakes his head sadly, murmuring, "Denial, denial."

"Listen," growls Yaten, turning angry eyes on his companions. "The only thing I feel when I look at that annoying, obsessive twit is bile rising in my stomach."

"But that's a feeling, and it must be one you enjoy since you look at her so much!" Seiya pauses thoughtfully. "Although I can't imagine why you would enjoy it. I mean, bile. Eww."

"Seiya" Yaten begins in exasperation.

"But the point is you're not denying you have feelings for her!" cries Seiya victoriously, pumping his hands in the air. "I knew it!"

Small fists clench so tightly that knuckles grow white as Yaten glares contemptuously at Seiya. "You don't know ANYTHING."

"At least I can admit my feelings for Odango," retorts Seiya, sticking his tongue out. "You know, you can feel affection for Minako-chan if you want to."

"AFFECTION!" bellows Yaten, shooting out of his seat. "YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND IF YOU THINK I COULD EVER FEEL ANYTHING OTHER THAN PURE LOATHING FOR THAT DELUDED, ANNOYING STALKER!"

The lunchroom grows silent as everyone, including Minako, turns to stare at the red-faced Yaten and the grinning Seiya. Taiki even looks up from his book, both eyebrows raised as he momentarily finds this particular situation more interesting than quantum physics.

Yaten suddenly wishes he could hide.

No one speaks.

Somewhere in the lunchroom, a lone cricket observes the awkward silence and decides to cheer up the silly humans by playing a lovely, melodic composition.

Unfortunately, all the silly humans can hear are a few very annoying chirps.

Still no one speaks.

Possible tabloid headlines are flashing through Yaten's mind.

YATEN KOU SHOWS HIS TRUE FACE!

SPOILED CELEBRITY'S BAD TEMPER!

TEENAGE HEARTTHROB FLIES OFF THE HANDLE!

BAD ATTITUDE OR MENTAL INSTABILITY? YATEN'S STRUGGLE WITH TOURETTE'S SYNDROME!

He glances at Minako again, only to find her watching him, and their eyes meet across the silent lunchroom. Her expression is unreadable for a moment, then she smiles her wide, silly smile and turns to say something to that Kino girl. Kino responds. Then the other girls at their table resume their talking and eating as if nothing had happened. Soon all the students are chatting again, restoring the usual volume of the lunchroom.

Yaten lets out a sigh and plops back down in his seat.

"You really should get control of yourself," comments Taiki as he turns back to his book. "We don't want the press to find out about your little outbursts."

Yaten decides not to admit that he already thought of this. He merely crosses his arms and glares at the surface of the table, determined not to look in Minako's direction again.

He only looks up moments later when the sound of choked laughter reaches his ears.

Sitting across from him, Seiya is hunched over, his shoulders shaking as he tries to hold back his uncontrollable laughter.

Green eyes flash as Yaten glares at him. "And just WHAT is so funny?" he demands angrily.

Tears of laughter are beginning to gather in Seiya's eyes as he finally succumbs to the giggles threatening to overtake him. "I'm sorry," he gasps out, "really, but I can't help it! You're so . . . so . . . obvious!"

Yaten's pale brow becomes creased. "Obvious?" he asks, his curiosity outweighing his annoyance for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

But Seiya has collapsed in giggles and is unable to reply. Sighing in frustration, Yaten turns his eyes upon Taiki.

"A little help, here?" he asks impatiently.

Taiki doesn't look up from his reading. "Hmm?"

Yaten scowls. "What did Seiya mean, obvious?"

Violet eyes framed in thin wire glasses peer cooly at him over the top of the book. "You won't start shouting again, will you?"

Yaten sighs again, casting the chortling Seiya a disdainful look. "No."

"Very well, then." Taiki removes his glasses and lowers his book, studying Yaten intently. "To put it simply, Yaten, the very fact that you are so defensive over your feelings for Aino-san hints that you may, in fact, feel something for her."

Yaten opens his mouth to say something nasty, but Taiki holds up a hand, silencing him.

"I only mean from Seiya's point of view, those defensive actions look like a form of denial and makes those feelings you have that much more obvious, and he, for some reason, finds that hilarious."

"Obviously," snorts Yaten, glancing at Seiya, who is recovering from his fit of laughter and is wiping the tears from his flushed cheeks.

"Oh, man," gasps Seiya, "that was great."

Yaten only shakes his head.

"And, Yaten, don't get angry but I have to concur," continues Taiki cautiously. "I mean, you do seem like you're in denial about your feelings for Aino-san."

Fire sparks in those cat-like eyes as Yaten glares at him. "So you agree with him?" he asks incredulously.

Taiki pauses.

"Yes."

"My God, you're both deluded!" exclaims Yaten, throwing his hands in the air.

"You don't have to deny it, you know," says Seiya, smiling widely. "I mean, if you have feelings for her, it's perfectly okay."

Yaten is about to retort, but Taiki beats him to it.

"It is not perfectly okay," he says tiredly, putting his glasses back on and returning to his book. "We're not on this planet for romantic relationships and acquaintances, after all. We have a duty. The people of this planet do not matter."

"What about Ami-chan?" asks Seiya, eyes wide and blinking at Taiki in feigned innocence.

Taiki doesn't reply; he clears his throat uncomfortably and turns the page in his book. Yaten and Seiya exchange glances.

"Taiki?" says Seiya, poking at the back of Taiki's book with a chopstick. "Hello? Did you hear me?"

The faintest hint of a blush touches Taiki's cheeks as he lowers the book and fastens an icy look on both of them.

"I'm sorry, but I'm reading right now and am unable to reply."

Yaten raises an eyebrow and sits back in his seat as Seiya chuckles. "Denial, denial."

"Shut up, Seiya," says Yaten, glaring at him. "Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

"Why, Yaten," replies Seiya, grinning widely, "it's only the middle of the day! I have just begun."

"Oh, joy." A heavy sigh escapes Yaten's lips as he shakes his head and casually glances at Minako's table out of the corner of his eye.

She's laughing at something that Tsukino girl said, her eyes sparkling in mirth. A stream of sunlight is coming through a window, making her blonde hair shine white and her pale face glow as she shakes her head and says something to Kino, who grins. Tsukino jumps up, squealing about something, which only causes Kino and Minako to burst out laughing and Mizuno (who, like Taiki, has her head buried in a book) to shake her head. Something about the way she looks when she laughs causes a strange feeling that he's pretty sure isn't from the lunch he just ate to stir in his stomach.

Yaten watches for a few silent moments, an unreadable expression on his face.

Seiya grins. "Yaten, you're staring again."

"Leave him be, Seiya," says Taiki, not looking up from his book.

But for once Yaten doesn't care. Because Minako is suddenly watching him, and when she notices his gaze, she smiles.

He pauses. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he smiles back.

An oddly satisfied look crosses her face as she turns back to chatting animatedly with her friends. That silly, wide grin of hers never leaves her face for a minute.

He's glad.

He likes it when she smiles.

She's really very pretty.

But that doesn't mean he – ah, screw it.

Maybe he does like her after all.


End file.
